Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-07-02
W. A. W0MACK'S CASE.
PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION IN THE
POLICE COURT YESTERDAY.
Justice Richardson Sends the Accused on
10 the Grand Jury-Jennings
Gent on Also.

| N''' w W. ~ W OUidch, tu"'NN" '
sauilrrg and shooting at a. l.. Fuqul.
The shooting occurred in the Council
chamber last Monday evening between the
hours Of 6 and . O'Clock, and was the out
growth Of a publication by Fuqua which
reflected on Womack, or the latter so con.
stIuCd II. at least, and went TO the Council
| chamber and demanded retraction. The
case has created widespread interest, ana
there was large crowd IN attendance upon
the session Of the court.
When the case was called on Tuesday
morning Mr.. G. V. Meredith, counsel Tor
the accused, asked continuance unui yes
terdsv. 81 his other business engagements
would not allow him to appear at az earlier
time.
THE PUBLICATION.
The card was IN reply to one previously
| published by Gayle. who at the time stood
| charged by the Chief with violation OF GER
tain rules Of To, department. Cne para
| graph read as follows:
"Mr. Gayle calls on Mr.. W0yadck TO
| certify that would have secured him a
position in the department IL he would
| have signed paper plodging himself IN the
! future To- support the Reform party. pro
| nouucc this falsehood Of the whole cloth.
and only ask Of our citizens TO inquire who
| Mr.. Wd,0ndcl Il, feeling satisfied that such
| inquiry will fully vindicste me OF the charge
and also show upon whom Mr.. Gayle has
relied for material to make his attack"
THE CASE CALLED.
| When Justice Richardson ascended the
bench at - O'Clock he directed sergeant
| Thomas 10 call the witnesses IN this case,
and they went up TO the desk and were
| sword. Captain Fuqua, the Drst witness
examined, said That he went TO tile Councll
chamber last Monday eVtnlng about :
O'Clock TO see Mr.. JACOB Lange. Whlle
there Mr. Womack came in aud SAID he
wanted to see him. Assistant Chlef Mount
castle told Mr.. Womlck that he did not
want ony difficulty IN the Council cham
Der, and requested him to go out.
| Having transacted his business win
| Mr.. Lange, ne walked OUTSIDE OF
TIE railing and wss accOsicd by Womack,
" ho said something about card which be
FuquaJ had published, and demanded
| fftTnrfiou. After some words Oinack
struck at him. He Fuqua) struck him
| with q stick which he had IN his mana at
the time. Several persons inicrieTed ana
| s,paratcd them. Some persOD-he could
not sav who IL was-tOok hold OF MI
| Wougck and a scItlle ensucd. About this
| time MIR. August came up and attempted
10 separate them. and the three went to the
floor Finally Mr.. Womack arose to his
| feet and drew pistol and fired.
| Ou being cToSS-CXamined, Captain Fuqu1
slld that he was OF opinion that NOmica
| intended TO shoot hm.
| Nr. Meredith: Did you see nm point
| the pistol at YOU:
Wines: | was standing distance OF
| about two icCt from him at thu time he drew
| his i,tOl, and | was the one he wanted 10
| see. and ne must have intended to shoot me-
Captain FuquA said ne did nOt know the
name # the man who had hold Oi MI
Womack when Mr.. August came up.
Witness acknowledged writing tbr card,
| tbt above extract Of which Mr.. Meredith
read.
MR.. AUGUST.
Mr.. Benjamin r. August, Clerk of the
| CITY Council, was next called. a~ he de-
| sired 10 leave the city on the ll:l0 a. N.
| train. He said that on Monday evening,
! Just after the Committee on We>t-End
! Market bad adjourned, which was about
O'Clock, Mr.. tuqua entered the Council
| chamber, accompanied 10y Assistant.Chef
| Oliver MOuntcaStle. The lamps had then
| been lighted over his and twO other
deshs in the room. McS,rs. kauimln and
addition 10 the other gentlemen named.
Wines was inside the railing and ap-
uo3ching lis desk when Mr.. WOmack,
| WHO was already in the room, apprO iched
| Cljd Fuqua, who was engaged in con-
lersatlon outside the railing, be.
| tween The stove and the desk OF
| the Sergeant.at-Arms. lie heard WO-
! mack demand oi Fuqua a retraction OF the
! rqId published bv the latter which re.
| G.cf,d on the former. After 4 few at
/ fempted blows the twO grabbed each other,
| and got over in the nCighbOrhOod OF the
dc,k Of the Sergeant alarms, where
! c,nerol scrimmagc was engaged IN. Wit
| ness. not thinking il bis duty TO interfere
al this stage, held himself alOOf. Bv the in
reference OF several parties the cOmbatlnts
| were separated. When WOmack became
| di,engagcd ne started toward the door, but
bad not gotten far when man OF short,
| compact statue, dressed in light suit,
! with small straw hat and wearing nous
! tachc, hO, during the mfl6e, bad held
| himself alool and stood of at some di'taHce
apparently cool and meXclte1, rushed at
Womack and grabbed him. Witness
WAS familiar with the mans lace,
| Lul did not know his name. DID not
| think il was Mr.. Burton. Of the Fire De
! IaltIItIl. us NUiIt AhNb-Nb' " 49, 'N'
! TWO arauplod approached them, and, put.
| ting his arm around the neck Oi Wou1ck's
assaiant. attempted TO pull him OFF, but
was not strong enough. The combltantN
| fell, and witness thought he must nave
| ACCOMPANIED them on their down
ward flight, as aIterward he found
! that hls hand bad been badly hurt. Mr..
| Bland came to the assistance OF Mr.. August,
| aud IL two succeeded in separating Wo-
| mack and The unknown man. As soon rs
Womack was at liberty he started IN Inc d.
| Tection Of the door. and when near IN rlil-
| ing jerked out his pistol, aud, looking
| toward the door, near which st1oi tAi'
man whose name was never learned,
said: "You are the -- who
choked me-" and shot. Witness, who was
not far distant, hasiened TO Womack,
grabbed him around the body ard appealed
| 10 him for "GOd' sake not to shoot again
some one (MountCastlel came up end
ierked Womack by the arm, but did noi
Get the pistol. Nj. William M0sely,
Womrck's friend. came uo and TOOK Tue
pistol from Womack aud put 1t III bis
pocket.
Mr.. August, on cross-eXaminatior, said
that he did not see Womack aim his pistol
at any one, In fact, hc did not see the pistol
until it had fred and he heard the report
| Then the weapon was pointing upward
| The ball lodged In the ceiling in a line with
| the resr chandelier. Mr.. August was uu-
der the impression that Womack IN pulling
/ ont his pistol threw II up and fired II Defore
he had taken aim at any one.
MR.. MOUNTCAsTLE.
Assistant-Chief Oliver Mountcastle said
| that be was standing in the Council Guam
Der, in conversation with Chief Fuqua,
when Womack approached and, addressing
himself to the Cbiei, said:
"You have published me in the papers,
and YOU have got TO retfact 1t ana spoio'
| elZc."
He (Mountcastle) urged Womack not to
| balc a difficulty In the Council chamber,
saying at the time that he might gel into
| trouble that would be hard TO get out o.
| Womack replied that he wanted To see Mr.
| Fugua and drew him to one side. and tney
II once struck each other. witness look
| hold OF Womack and tried TO pun
| him away, but Mr.. Bland took hold
| Of mm at the time aud drew him OIL,
srd general melee ensued. When
Womack drew his pistol witness ran
| TO him and sfized his arm, but could
NOT Get hold 0i the weapon until 1t had
discharecd. He was confident that Wo'
mack was not aiming OF my one When tue
mis- fol fired, and really had no idea whom
te wss epdeayoring TO shoot at. He did
moi even know whether FuQua was IN Tue
,oon at the time, as there was general
scr,,cbinv aad every BODY WAS excited.